The 2010 season was the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The t ...

' 16th in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL), and their ninth and final season under head coach John Fox. They entered the season trying to improve on their 8–8 record from

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

, but failed to do so with a record of 2–14 and were officially eliminated from postseason contention in Week 11. It was the franchise's worst record between going 1–15 in

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

and finishing 2–15 in

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

. In Week 16, the team clinched the NFL's worst record of the year and earned the #1 pick in the

2011 NFL draft The 2011 NFL draft was the 76th installment of the annual National Football League draft, NFL draft, where the franchises of the National Football League select newly eligible football players. Like the 2010 draft, the 2011 draft was held at Rad ...

. They would go on to select quarterback

Cam Newton Cameron Jerrell Newton (born May 11, 1989) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons, primarily with the Carolina Panthers. He is the NFL le ...

with that pick. On December 31, 2010, it was announced that the contracts of Fox and his entire coaching staff would not be renewed. This was the first season since

that

Julius Peppers Julius Frazier Peppers (born January 18, 1980) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end and linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the North Carolina Tar Heels, where he ...

was not on the opening-day roster, as he signed with the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

(although he would return for a second and final spell in

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

Offseason

NFL draft

The Panthers did not have a first round pick in the 2010 draft as it was traded to the San Francisco 49ers in a deal that got the Panthers a second and fourth round pick in the

2009 NFL draft The 2009 NFL draft was the 74th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, on April 25 and 26, 2009. The draft c ...

. The Panthers also traded their fifth round pick to the Kansas City Chiefs for defensive tackle

Tank Tyler DeMarcus Lamon "Tank" Tyler (born February 14, 1985) is an American former professional football defensive tackle. He was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the third round of the 2007 NFL draft. He played college football at North Carolina St ...

, and their sixth round pick to the Cleveland Browns for defensive tackle

Louis Leonard Louis Apprecicio Leonard (born July 16, 1984) is a former American football defensive tackle. He was signed by the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted free agent in 2007. He played college football at Fresno State. Leonard has also played for the ...

. The Panthers acquired a sixth round pick from the Oakland Raiders from a trade in the 2009 draft that sent a 2009 seventh round pick to the Raiders.

Free agent signings

Roster releases and waivers

Roster

Staff

Schedule

Preseason

The Panthers preseason schedule was announced on March 31, 2010.

Regular season

Standings

Regular season results

Week 1: at New York Giants

The Panthers began their season at

New Meadowlands Stadium MetLife Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States, 5 mi (8 km) west of New York City. It opened in 2010, replacing Giants Stadium, and serves as the home for the ...

for an NFC duel with the New York Giants. In the first quarter, Carolina got the stadium's very first points with kicker

John Kasay John David Kasay (born October 27, 1969) is an American former professional football player who was a kicker for 21 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the Carolina Panthers. He played college football for the Georgi ...

nailing a 21-yard field goal. The Giants would answer with quarterback

Eli Manning Elisha Nelson Manning (born January 3, 1981) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons with the New York Giants. A member of the Manning family, he is the youngest ...

making a 26-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver

Hakeem Nicks Hakeem Amir Nicks (born January 14, 1988) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the North Carolina Tar Heels, and was selected by the Ne ...

. In the second quarter, the Panthers slowly retook the lead with Kasay hitting on 52 and 43-yard field goals. The Giants responded with Manning getting a 19-yard touchdown pass to Nicks, but the Panthers replied with quarterback Matt Moore making a 19-yard TD pass to wide receiver Steve Smith. In the third quarter, the Panthers fell behind when kicker

Lawrence Tynes Lawrence James Henry Tynes (born 3 May 1978) is a former professional American football placekicker. After he played soccer for Milton High School, a coach suggested he try out for the football team as a kicker. He played college football at Tro ...

made a 32-yard field goal, which was extended further with Manning making a 5-yard TD pass to Nicks, followed in the 4th quarter by running back

Ahmad Bradshaw Ahmad Bradshaw (born March 19, 1986) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Marshall Thundering Herd. Bradshaw was selected in the seven ...

getting a 4-yard touchdown run. After this point, the Panthers tried to mount a comeback when rookie defensive end

Greg Hardy Gregory McKarl Hardy (born July 28, 1988) is an American mixed martial artist, boxer, and former football defensive end. He played football for six seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the Carolina Panthers. Hardy play ...

blocked a punt out of the back of the end zone for a safety, but the Giants' defense prevented anything else happening. With the loss, the Panthers began the season at 0–1.

Week 2: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Looking for their first win of the season, the Panthers flew home for a divisional duel against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In the first quarter, Tampa Bay struck first with

Josh Freeman Joshua Tyler Freeman (born January 13, 1988) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Kansas State Wildcats, and was selected by the Ta ...

's 14-yard touchdown pass to RB

Earnest Graham Earnest Graham Jr. (born January 15, 1980) is an American former professional football player who was a running back for eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Florida Gators, and was signed by ...

. The Panthers responded with Matt Moore throwing a 37-yard touchdown pass to WR Steve Smith. The Bucs' defense dominated, holding RBs

Jonathan Stewart Jonathan Creon Stewart (born March 21, 1987) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Oregon Ducks, earning All-American honors. Stewar ...

and

DeAngelo Williams DeAngelo Chondon Williams (born April 25, 1983) is an American professional wrestler and former football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Memphis Tigers, earning first-team All-Am ...

to 43 and 54 yards rushing, respectively. Moore completed 6 out of 16 passes with one touchdown and one interception, while being sacked four times. After losing a fumble, he was benched in favor of rookie

Jimmy Clausen James Richard Clausen (born September 21, 1987) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) from 2010 to 2015. He played college football for the Notre Dame F ...

in hopes for a rally, however the Bucs defense prevented any further progress. With the loss, the Panthers fell to 0–2 for the second straight season.

Week 3: vs. Cincinnati Bengals

Still searching for their first win of the season, the Panthers stayed at home for their Week 3 interconference duel with the Cincinnati Bengals. With quarterback Matt Moore struggling, rookie quarterback

was given the start. Carolina would trail in the first half as Bengals running back

Cedric Benson Cedric Myron Benson (December 28, 1982 – August 17, 2019) was an American professional football player who spent eight years as a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals and Green Bay Packe ...

got a 1-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, followed by kicker

Mike Nugent Michael Nugent (born March 2, 1982) is an American former professional American football, football placekicker who played in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes football, Ohio State Buckeye ...

's 33-yard field goal in the second quarter. The Panthers would strike back in the third quarter as running back

got a 1-yard touchdown run, but Cincinnati would close out the game in the fourth quarter as Nugent nailed a 50-yard field goal, followed by quarterback

Carson Palmer Carson Hilton Palmer (born December 27, 1979) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons. He played college football for the USC Trojans, winning the Heisman Trophy as ...

's 7-yard touchdown pass to Benson. With the loss, Carolina fell to 0–3.

Week 4: at New Orleans Saints

Still looking for their first win the Panthers flew to

Louisiana Superdome Caesars Superdome (originally Louisiana Superdome and formerly Mercedes-Benz Superdome), commonly known as the Superdome, is a domed multi-purpose stadium in the Southern United States, southern United States, located in New Orleans, Louisiana. ...

for an NFC South rivalry match against the Saints. In the 1st quarter Carolina trailed early as QB

Drew Brees Drew Christopher Brees (; born January 15, 1979) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 seasons. A member of the New Orleans Saints for most of his career, Brees is sec ...

completed a 4-yard TD pass to WR

Lance Moore Lance Andrew Moore (born August 31, 1983) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for 10 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Toledo Rockets. He was signed by the ...

. Carolina replied with QB

making a 55-yard TD pass to RB

. The Panthers trailed when kicker John Carney nailed a 32-yard field goal, but took the lead when RB

made a 39-yard TD run. Then John Carney made two field goals to give the Panthers a loss. He made a 32-yard field goal in the 3rd quarter and a 25-yard field goal in the 4th. With the close loss, the Panthers fell to 0–4.

Week 5: vs. Chicago Bears

Still looking for a win the Panthers played on home ground for an interdivisional NFC duel with the Bears. In the 1st quarter the Panthers trailed early as RB

Matt Forte Matthew Garrett Forte (born December 10, 1985) is an American former professional football player who was a running back for ten seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Tulane Green Wave and was drafted ...

got an 18-yard TD run. The Panthers replied with kicker

making a 24-yard field goal. The Panthers fell further behind with Forte making a 68-yard TD run, followed by a 28-yard field goal from kicker

Robbie Gould Robert Paul Gould III ( ; born December 6, 1982) is an American former professional football player who was a placekicker for 18 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the Chicago Bears, New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers. He p ...

. In the third quarter the Panthers replied with Kasay making a 53-yard field goal, but in the 4th quarter the Bears pulled away when Gould made a 53 and a 43-yard field goal. With the loss, Carolina entered their bye week at 0–5.

Week 6: Bye

Week 7: vs. San Francisco 49ers

Coming off their bye week the Panthers played on home ground for another interdivisional duel with the San Francisco 49ers. In the first quarter the Panthers trailed early as QB

Alex Smith Alexander Douglas Smith (born May 7, 1984) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons. He played college football for the Utah Utes, earning first-team All-American ho ...

got a 1-yard TD pass to TE

Vernon Davis Vernon Leonard Davis (born January 31, 1984) is an American former professional football player who was a tight end in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Maryland Terrapins, earning first-team All-American h ...

. The lead was cut when kicker

nailed a 47-yard field goal. The 49ers scored with kicker

Joe Nedney Joseph Thomas Nedney (born March 22, 1973) is an American former professional football player who was a placekicker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at San Jose State and signed as an undrafted player with the Mi ...

making a 24-yard field goal. The Panthers managed to tie the game with QB Matt Moore completing an 18-yard TD pass to WR David Gettis. They took the lead in the third quarter with Kasay booting a 55-yard field goal. They eventually trailed again in the fourth quarter with Nedney hitting a 38-yard field goal, and with DE

Ray McDonald Raymondo Antoine McDonald (born September 2, 1984) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the third round of the 2007 NFL ...

returning an interception 31 yards for a touchdown. However, the Panthers tied the game for the second time with Moore finding Gettis again on a 23-yard TD pass. After the game was tied Kasay successfully put away a 37-yard field goal to give the Panthers their first win of the season out of six games, improving them to 1–5.

Week 8: at St. Louis Rams

Coming off their win over the 49ers the Panthers flew to

Edward Jones Dome The Dome at America's Center is a multi-purpose stadium used for concerts, major conventions, and sporting events in downtown St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Previously known as the Trans World Dome from 1995 to 2001 and the Edward Jones Dom ...

for an NFC duel with the Rams. In the second quarter the Panthers trailed early as kicker Josh Brown nailed a 33-yard field goal. This was followed by QB

Sam Bradford Samuel Jacob Bradford (born November 8, 1987) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback for nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL). Bradford attended Putnam City North High School, where he starred ...

completing a 2-yard TD pass to WR

Danny Amendola Daniel James Amendola ( ; born November 2, 1985) is an American former professional American football, football wide receiver. He played college football for the Texas Tech Red Raiders football, Texas Tech Red Raiders and was signed by the Dall ...

. The Panthers replied with kicker

making a 44-yard field goal. The Panthers fell further behind in the fourth quarter with Bradford finding TE

Daniel Fells Daniel Fells (born September 23, 1983) is an American former professional football tight end. He played college football at UC Davis and was signed by the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent in 2006. Fells was also a member of the Oaklan ...

on a 23-yard TD pass, followed by Brown getting a 41-yard field goal. The Panthers responded with QB Matt Moore making a 17-yard TD pass to WR Brandon LaFell. With the loss, Carolina fell to 1–6.

Week 9: vs. New Orleans Saints

Hoping to rebound from their loss to the Rams the Panthers played on home ground for an NFC South rivalry match against the Saints. In the first quarter the Panthers took the lead after kicker

made a 20-yard field goal. Then they conceded a large scoring run after QB

completed a 7-yard TD pass to TE

Jeremy Shockey Jeremy Charles Shockey (born August 18, 1980) is an American former professional football player who was a tight end in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Miami Hurricanes, earning first-team All-American hon ...

. Followed by Brees finding TE

Jimmy Graham Jimmy Graham (born November 24, 1986) is an American professional American football, football tight end. He was selected by the New Orleans Saints in the third round of the 2010 NFL draft. Graham has also been a member of the Seattle Seahawks, G ...

on a 19-yard TD pass. The lead was extended by kicker

Garrett Hartley Garrett Hartley (born May 16, 1986) is an American former professional football placekicker. He was signed by the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 2008. Later that year he became the placekicker for the New Orleans Saints, for whom h ...

as he nailed a 31 and a 36-yard field goal. The Panthers had more problems after QB

's pass was intercepted by CB

Jabari Greer Jabari Amin Greer (born February 11, 1982) is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Tennessee Volunteers and was signed by the Buffalo Bill ...

and returned 24 yards for a touchdown. This was followed by RB Ladell Betts getting a 1-yard TD run. This was

Tony Pike Anthony Steven Pike (born March 10, 1986) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Cincinnati Bearcats and was s ...

’s only game of his career. With the loss, the Panthers fell to 1–7.

Week 10: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Trying to break a two-game losing streak the Panthers flew to

Raymond James Stadium Raymond James Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Tampa, Florida, United States. It opened in 1998 and is home to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL) and the University of South Florida (USF) Bulls college football ...

for an NFC South rivalry match against the Buccaneers. In the 1st quarter the Panthers trailed early as QB

made an 8-yard TD pass to WR

Arrelious Benn Arrelious Markus Benn (born September 8, 1988) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Illinois Fighting Illini and was selected by the ...

. They narrowed the lead with kicker

hitting a 46-yard field goal. They struggled further in the second quarter with RB LeGarrette Blount getting a 17-yard TD run; but they replied with RB Josh Vaughan making a 2-yard TD run. Tampa Bay scored again when Freeman found TE

Kellen Winslow Kellen Boswell Winslow Sr. (born November 5, 1957) is an American former professional American football, football tight end who played in the National Football League (NFL). A member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame (1995), he is widely recogn ...

on a 20-yard TD pass. The Panthers tried to cut the lead down with Kasay's 28- and 48-yard field goals, but the Buccaneers pulled away in the fourth quarter with kicker

Connor Barth Connor Thomas Barth (born April 11, 1986) is an American former professional football placekicker who played ten seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at North Carolina and was signed by the Kansas City Chiefs ...

nailing a 32-yard field goal, and with RB

Cadillac Williams Carnell Lamar "Cadillac" Williams (born April 21, 1982) is an American professional football coach and former running back who most recently served as the running backs coach for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He ...

getting a 45-yard TD run. With the loss, the Panthers fell to 1–8.

Week 11: vs. Baltimore Ravens

Hoping to break their losing streak the Panthers played on home ground for an inter-conference duel with the Ravens. In the first quarter the Panthers trailed early with QB

Joe Flacco Joseph Vincent Flacco (born January 16, 1985) is an American professional football quarterback for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Pittsburgh Panthers and the Delaware Fightin' Blue ...

getting a 56-yard TD pass to WR

T. J. Houshmandzadeh Touraj Houshmandzadeh Jr. ( ; born September 26, 1977) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Oregon State Beavers and was selected by ...

. This was followed by kicker

Billy Cundiff William Ambrose Cundiff (born March 30, 1980) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a placekicker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Drake University, and was signed by ...

nailing a 22-yard field goal. The Panthers replied with kicker

making a 45-yard field goal, but they struggled further with RB

Ray Rice Raymell Mourice Rice (born January 22, 1987) is an American former professional football player who was a running back for six seasons with the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Rutgers ...

getting a 1-yard TD run. Followed in the third quarter by Cundiff hitting a 33-yard field goal. The Panthers tried to cut the lead when Kasay made a 40-yard field goal. This was followed by QB Brian St. Pierre completing an 88-yard TD pass to WR David Gettis. The Ravens answered back with Cundiff hitting a 49-yard field goal. The Panthers had further problems with both St. Pierre's passes intercepted by

Ed Reed Edward Earl Reed Jr. (born September 11, 1978) is an American former professional football player who was a safety in the National Football League (NFL), spending the majority of his career with the Baltimore Ravens. He played college footbal ...

(who later threw a lateral to Dawan Landry), and

Ray Lewis Raymond Anthony Lewis Jr. (born May 15, 1975) is an American former professional football player who spent his entire 17-year career as a linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football f ...

, in which both of them were returned for a touchdown 23 and 24 yards respectively. With the loss, Carolina fell to 1–9, and was officially eliminated from playoff contention. Additionally, wins from the rest of their division rivals mathematically ensured that Carolina will be locked in a season-ending 4th-place finish in the NFC South division.

Week 12: at Cleveland Browns

The Panthers' eleventh game was an interconference duel with the Browns at

Cleveland Browns Stadium Huntington Bank Field is a stadium in Cleveland, Ohio. It is the home field of the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL), and serves as a venue for other events such as college and high school football, soccer, hockey, and con ...

. In the first quarter the Panthers took the lead as RB

Mike Goodson Michael Darryl Goodson Jr. (born May 23, 1987) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Texas A&M. Goodson was selected by the Carolina Panther ...

got a 26-yard TD run. They trailed after RB

Peyton Hillis Peyton Derek Hillis (born January 21, 1986) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Arkansas Razorbacks football, Arka ...

got a 9, 5 and then a 6-yard TD run in the second quarter. The lead was narrowed when kicker

made field goals from 43 and 42 yards. This was followed by CB

Captain Munnerlyn Captain Lesean Munnerlyn (born April 10, 1988) is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the South Carolina Gamecocks for three years. He was sel ...

returning an interception 37 yards for a touchdown. The Panthers got the lead when Kasay hit a 43-yard field goal. They slightly trailed after kicker

Phil Dawson Philip Drury Dawson (born January 23, 1975) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a placekicker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Texas Longhorns football, Texas Lo ...

hit a 41-yard field goal. The Panthers' hopes for a win got denied as Kasay missed a 42-yard field goal with the time expiring. With the close loss, the Panthers fell to 1–10.

Week 13: at Seattle Seahawks

The Panthers' twelfth game was an NFC duel with the Seahawks at

Qwest Field Lumen Field is a multi-purpose stadium in Seattle, Washington, United States. Located in the city's SoDo neighborhood, it is the home field for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL), Seattle Sounders FC of Major League So ...

. They took the early lead after RB

got a 6-yard TD run. Followed by RB

getting a 3-yard TD run. They failed to maintain this lead after kicker

Olindo Mare Olindo Franco Mare ; (born June 6, 1973) is an American former professional football player who was a placekicker in the National Football League (NFL). He was originally signed by the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent in 1996. He play ...

made a 24-yard field goal, followed by

Marshawn Lynch Marshawn Terrell Lynch (born April 22, 1986) is an American actor and former professional American football, football player who was a running back for 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). Nicknamed "Beast Mode", he spent the majori ...

getting a 1-yard TD run, then with MLB

Lofa Tatupu Mosiula Mea'alofa "Lofa" Tatupu (born November 15, 1982) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for six seasons with the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for th ...

returning an interception 26 yards for a touchdown. This was followed by Lynch getting a 1 and a 22-yard TD run. With the loss, the Panthers fell to 1–11.

Week 14: vs. Atlanta Falcons

The Panthers' thirteenth game was an NFC South rivalry match against the Falcons. The Panthers trailed early as QB Matt Ryan completed a 4-yard TD pass to TE

Tony Gonzalez Anthony David Gonzalez (born February 27, 1976) is an American former professional football tight end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons. Regarded as one of the greatest tight ends of all time, he is the NFL's all ...

, followed by RB Michael Turner getting a 1-yard TD run, and then with kicker

Matt Bryant Steven Matt Bryant (born May 29, 1975), nicknamed "Money Matt", is an American former professional football player who was a placekicker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Baylor Bears, and was signed as ...

nailing a 39-yard field goal. The Panthers scored in the third quarter with RB

getting a 13-yard TD run, but the Falcons replied as Turner got a 3-yard TD run. The Panthers cut the lead as kicker

made a 36-yard field goal, but fell further behind as Turner got a 4-yard TD run. With the loss, Carolina fell to 1–12.

Week 15: vs. Arizona Cardinals

The Panthers' fourteenth game was an NFC duel with the Cardinals at home. In the first quarter the Panthers took the lead as kicker

hit a 28 and a 29-yard field goal. This was followed in the second quarter by QB

completing a 16-yard touchdown pass to TE Jeff King. The Cardinals answered back with kicker

Jay Feely Thomas James Feely (born May 23, 1976) is a former professional football player. He started his playing career as a placekicker with the Florida Bobcats in the Arena Football League (AFL) as a free agent in 1999 before playing for several Na ...

nailing a 23-yard field goal, but the Panthers increased their lead after Kasay made a 24 and a 43-yard field goal. The lead was narrowed with

Steve Breaston Steven William Breaston (born August 20, 1983) is an American former professional football wide receiver. He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines and was selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the fifth round of the 2007 NFL draft. ...

recovering a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown (With a failed two-point conversion) and then with Feely getting a 30-yard field goal. The Panthers' defense and

's 137 yards rushing were enough to secure the win. With the win, Carolina improved to 2–12. It would be John Fox's last home victory as the Panthers head coach.

Week 16: at Pittsburgh Steelers

Coming off their win over the Cardinals, the Panthers flew to

Heinz Field Acrisure Stadium, formerly (and still colloquially) known as Heinz Field, is a football stadium located in the North Shore neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It primarily serves as the home of the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Foot ...

for a Week 16 interconference duel with the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

on Thursday night. Carolina trailed in the first quarter as Steelers kicker Shaun Suisham got a 26-yard field goal. The Panthers continued to struggle in the second quarter as quarterback

Ben Roethlisberger Benjamin Todd Roethlisberger Sr. ( ; born March 2, 1982), nicknamed "Big Ben", is an American former professional American football, football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons with the Pittsburgh Ste ...

completed a 43-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver

Mike Wallace Myron Leon Wallace (May 9, 1918 – April 7, 2012) was an American journalist, game show host, actor, and media personality. Known for his investigative journalism, he interviewed a wide range of prominent newsmakers during his seven-decade car ...

, followed by running back

Rashard Mendenhall Rashard Jamal Mendenhall (born June 19, 1987) is an American former football running back who played for six seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Illinois Fighting Illini and was selected by the Pitt ...

getting a 1-yard touchdown run and Suisham making a 29-yard field goal. Pittsburgh continued to increase their lead in the third quarter with Roethlisberger getting a 1-yard touchdown run. Carolina would close out the game in the fourth quarter with a 27-yard field goal from kicker

. With the loss, the Panthers fell to 2–13, and became the first NFC South team to ever lose to all of their AFC North opponents.

Week 17: at Atlanta Falcons

The Panthers' final game was a division rivalry rematch against the Falcons. The Panthers trailed early as QB Matt Ryan got a 6-yard TD pass to TE

. Their problems continued after a three-and-out converted into a 55-yard punt return for a touchdown by

Eric Weems Eric Grant Weems (born July 4, 1985) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a wide receiver, special teamer, and return specialist in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the ...

; followed by Ryan completing a 14-yard TD pass to WR Roddy White. The Panthers tried to cut the lead with kicker

getting a 23-yard field goal, but they struggled further as kicker

made a 47-yard field goal, followed by RB Michael Turner getting a 3-yard TD run. The Panthers tried to come back but only came away with a touchdown as QB

connected to TE Jeff King on a 2-yard pass. With the loss, the Panthers finished their season on a 2–14 record – the second worst in the history of the franchise (until 2023), and the worst record of any NFL team for the 2010 season.

References

External links

Panthers official web site

Panthers team page on NFL.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:2010 Carolina Panthers Season

Carolina Panthers seasons Carolina 2010s in Charlotte, North Carolina